Dimming attachment for headlights



s. SLADE. DIMMING ATTACHMENT FOR HEADLIGHTS. APPLICATION FILED I UNE 30. I9I9'.

1,330,916. l Patented Feb. 17,1920.

@s fa srii'iiiis ormone saMUELsLADn or 'dHrcAGq ILLINOIS.

' DIMMING ATTACHMENT Feitv -HiiA'nnIefrt'rs.

l' To all whomr't may concernl i-.Be it known that 'I,SAnUnL SLADE, a c iti-. zen of ,the -United States, and a'residentofV Chicago, in the county of vCook and State of vof reference marked thereon, which form a.

Illinois, have invented certain new' and use- -ful Improvements in Diinm-ing Attachments for Headlights; and I do hereby declare that the following'is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theJI accompanying drawings, 'and to the letters partof this specification.

. This invention relates to dimming or nonglare attachmentsfor headlights for automobiles and -the like, and adjustable means for securing same to 'sai'd headlight.'

It has been proposed,v heretofore, to -usea strip. of semi-transparent glass on the vinside of and adjacent'to the transparent vlens or glass' of a. headlight and to attach thesanie to the inside of the headlight frame Vby means of metal plates, one secured ateaclr end of the,semi-transparent strip of glass. One of the diiiicult-ies attending such a device is that unless it is manufactured vin standard sizes,t he user, purchasing the detvice, isobliged to trim the thin metal, plates to fit the annular groovei and retaining rim of the headlight. The user may be more or' less awkward in performing this operation and moreover, may not have the proper-kind of shears at hand for the purpose; the result 'being that the non-glare or dimming device is frequently placed in the' lieadlight im- -properly and because of this it does notdoI the. intended work as-eliiciently as it should.

The-principalobjectof my invention is to overcome this ditticultyyand to produce a semi-transparent., 01jl provided ,with 'a met. -each .end, in such arrangement that it may be 'adjusted lto vfit 'the variou` sizes and shapes ofheadlight frames. T is i'iot only v applied reduces thecost by enabling' the manufacturer to make substantially but one size 'of the. deviceV for theI market; but at the saine time promotes t-he facility of t-he user in. applying the devfice to the headlight.

In that form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, v

Figure l is avertit-al sectional View of a headlight to which my invention has been Fig. 2 .is a front elevation of the same showing'my invention installed in position.

-"semitransparent plate of glass.

fare strip of glass "attachment plate at 'hereinafter stated.

. I Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Feb.' 1x7,I 19.20. i Application Viled .Tune 30, 1919. Serial No. 307,644. A

' 3 is a View, enlarged, of 'the/metal blank unfolded which constitutes. on metal Vattachingparts ofthe device.

Figil is a side -elevation showing the blank foldedand attached to one end of the Fig. 5 is aside elevation ofthe same.

Fig. 6 is a transverse, sectional View of thesanie..

' Fig'. 7 is a 'similar view of a part of thedevice, showing a modification.

A represents the headlight as a whole and B-the clear glass or len'sthereof. -Said headlight maybe of any ordinary type, that illustrated comprising ametal frame' l, provided interiorly with a reflector 2 and alampf.

The end l of the frame is exteriorly' screw threaded torec'eive an'annular cap ring 5, the lens B being held in a familiar manner by the inturned flange 6 of the ring 5.

C designates 'a'strip of semi-transparent .glass which may be ground, etched, groovedl orroughened 'on one face, as at 7 to produce the non-glare effect desired. This strip is relatively narrow, as clearly shown in Fig. 2,

' and when in operative position in the headlight A, should st 'nd diametrically across the center of the back of the-lens B with'the back of .the lens B and inI the vertical position shown in' Fig. 2, thus leaving on each side of the strip-C a very considerable sec-Av tion of the transparent,lens.B.- In order that the strip C may be 'thus accuratelypositioned, I `attach to each' end thereof an extension or holding plate :Da the outer rim 8 of whichds cut on the arc of a diameter of the lamp lenses B now `on the market. This plate D is'made from the .blank shown in Fig. 3 and comprises a .main

vI may also provide and preferably do provide a second vset of apertures 12, l2, outside of the apertures 11, 1l, for the purpose This blank is made of circle of a diameter'equal ,to the' averagethin sheet metal of a character easily folded overthe'glass' C .toward each other.` Thus- "dotted lines 1 3, 14,'and fold the parts 10 the glass C is surrounded by the two parts 10, 10, the intermediate side walls 15,15 and the lower part 16 of the blank. c

In order to secure these folded arms 10, 10, together, I bend the outer ends 17, 17, thereof, at the points indicated-at 18, 1,8, so that the-parts 17 stand outwardly from the parts 10, and then insert a screw bolt 19 through the apertures 11,11, thus pinching the `parts or anges 17,v 17, together somewhat and causing the plate D to be firmly united to the glass strip C.. l

I- findit to be a preferable construction,

, though not anecessary one, to fold the eX- treme outer ends 20 backwardly upon thef outside faces of the ends 17,17, before insertingthe screw bolt 19; these parts 20,

20 thus acting'jin asense as jam-nuts to more securely hold thescrew bolt 19 in position. In positioning this non-glare strip 'C and the attached plates D, D, within the lamp A,'if it is found that the-extreme length of the device between the curved adjustment.

-edges 8, 8, of the opposite plates, is greater ,than or less than the diameterof the lens B or space within the frame A, proper adjustment may be quickly made by' loosening one or both of the-screw bolts 19 and changing the relative position of the glass C with respect to the plates D, as will "be:

understood by reference to Fig. 4:. In most cases, but oneof the plates D will require- Where but one adjustment is necessary, I may find it convenient to un1te the two ang'e members 17, 17, by'solder vl21 or otherwise, as lshown in the modification illustrated in 'Fig-7. It is' desirable, however, to have bothv plates D adjustable and to have the plates D extend or project approximatelythe same distance from the glass plate C. l

I prefer to make the-shape ofthe part i 9 of the blank substantially as shown; that is to say, with an og'ee lcurve 22 dening v' the laterally projecting parts 23. -It is pr erable, although not essential, that the plate D shall have the lateral projections 23 eX- tending on each side of the plate C; thatV is to say, to have the transverse dimension of the plate D greater than the width of i the strip C. I have stated that the plate I) is a sheet of thin metal, but it may be to each end thereof, one of said plates be.

, ing provided withlaterally projecting arms adapted to be folded about the side margins and over the back of said strip, and secured together by a screwbolt.

2. As a new article of manufacture. a dimmer device for attachment to headlights comprising a thin, fiat, 'relatively narrow strip of light absorbing material such as semi-transparent glass, a mounting plate secured to each lend thereof, one of said yplates being provided with laterally projecting'arms adapted to be folded about the side margins and over the back of said strip, a'nd secured together by a screw bolt, the extreme ends of said folding arms being bent upon themselves to 4form a locknut or washer for lsaid screw-bolt.

8. As ka new article 'of manufacture, a dimmer device for headlights, comprising a thin, flat, relatively narrow strip of light' absorbing material provided at one end with an adjustable mounting'plate secured thereto b-y a screw bolt, said pla-te being' made of,

a blank ofsheet metal or other similar ina- 4terial having a. straight lower edge or margin and a curvedy upper margin, and provided withlaterally projecting arms, said arms being adapted-to be folded along lines extending 'transversely of thearm, and an aperture'through the end of .each arm, the unfolded part of the blank being greater in width or transverse dimensionl than the width of thelight absorbing lmaterial to which it is attached.-

In testimony that. I claim the foregoing as my invention I aliix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 21st day of June, A. D. 1919.

i SAMUEL, SLADE.

Witnesses B. Il. MACGRE'GOR,

E. A. KRULEWICH. 

